What Happened When I Tried the Italian Versions of Classic American Foods

What happens when American food goes international?

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Yes, I know what you’re thinking. “You’re in Italy? And eating American foods??” Well, indeed I am, because even abroad, sometimes you crave a good, classic burger. Given the fact that Italian food is 100 percent better than American food, I was also curious to see if they could even outdo some of the traditional U.S. foods.

In going about this, I had two rules that I was going to try to stick to. One, that the food had to be as close to the American equivalent as possible and two, that it was made by Italians. This would not be an easy grab at the nearby Burger King. The results were interesting.

Hot Dog

Photo by Austin Hake

There’s nothing better than a hot dog at a baseball game, but what about at a soccer game? Here, they automatically hit you up with a trio of ketchup, mayo, and honey mustard. The dog looked nice and processed, and the bun was pearly white.

The verdict? I was impressed. The triple condiment mash-up worked really well giving the signature ketchup taste but adding a creamy mayo flavor and sweet mustard finish. The bun was a step up as well, it didn’t completely fall apart and it tasted a little fresher than the average Wonderbread type you usually get.

Doughnut

Photo by Austin Hake

Now, it’s hard to imagine that you could find a better doughnut than one of these places, but this one comes pretty damn close. I found an authentic Napolitana Graffateria (doughnut = graffa in Italian) and right when you place your order, that’s when they toss the dough into the fryer.

For the toppings, you only have two options: the graffe are either tossed in plain sugar or injected with Nutella. They lack a necessary variety of flavors and they can’t compete with the Memphis Mafia Fritter or Mojito Donut. The dough is super fresh, but America takes the cake (or doughnut, in this case).

Hamburger

Photo by Austin Hake

Ah, who could imagine America without hamburgers? In fact, if you asked a foreigner to describe America in five words, “hamburger” would most likely be one of them. Hamburgers also the reason why the Fourth of July is one of the best holidays of the year.

Late one night I needed a hamburger so found a local spot. I got a simple one that came with just the burger, onions, cheddar, and BBQ sauce. It was solid, but the patty was just not as juicy as back in the states. Hands down: points to ‘murica.

Mozzarella Sticks

Photo by Austin Hake

After being in Rome for several weeks and not seeing a mozzarella stick in its purest form, I knew it would be difficult to get exactly the same thing. Essentially the equivalent though is the supplì: mozzarella, tomato sauce, and risotto, all deep fried.

Supplì can be good if gotten from the right place, but in comparison it’s a little too thick and the risotto just doesn’t seem like it fits. Classic mozz sticks rule and these pictures make me wanna drool.

The bottom line is if you’re gonna go to Spain, eat Spanish food. If you’re going to Italy, eat Italian food. That’s what they’re good at and some of the dishes will blow you away. The good part is, no one does American food like America and we can take comfort in knowing we’ll always have the best burger.